We protect each other
by TheSnowyAngel
Summary: A Hunger Games Modern AU. Adopted by the Mellarks at the age of 4, Katniss has escaped her abusive parents. She lives a pretty happy life with her brother, Peeta and his sister, Prim. One day, the Everdeens knock on their door and claimed to have become better people. What will Katniss do? Rated T for abuse and other violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Good Evening readers (Or morning, wherever you are). I hope you enjoy this story, I worked really hard on it! Reviews and Constructive Criticism are deeply appreciated. Don't forget that I'm only human so I do make spelling and grammar mistakes.**

**Quick notes before you start reading.**

**Katniss biological father never married Peeta's dad's ex. (If that makes any sense.) That would mean that Peeta's mom works with medicine and stuff.**

**Peeta's mom is a veterinarian, so she works with animals and not humans. **

**Gale IS NOT a bad guy... You'll see more of that in the chapters to come.**

**Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy the story! **

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We protect each other

Prologue

It was the month of November; snow has just started to fall in little crystals. Peeta watched as a small snowflake danced slowly to the wind, only to melt on the tip of his nose. Releasing his father's hand, he runs in circles, chasing a small winter squirrel. This was his first time in the snow, every other previous attempt to leave the house, has been resulted in a bad case of the flu.

Peeta was always a rebellious child. Ignoring his father's calls to return to him, he runs off into the deep dark woods, oblivious to the danger that could be present. He walks through the trees outside his family's bakery, fascinated by the white blanket that covers the snow like a bed sheet. The sounds of twigs make crunching sounds under his snow boots, scaring away wild hares that are scavenging for food.

He listens for the tree robins to whistle a sweet tune as it flies from branch to branch. Except, he hears sobbing… wait, sobbing? He comes across a tiny figure, leaning on a tree. As he walks closer he realizes it's a girl, no older than him. She leans against the tree, her head in her arms. Her hair was tied in two braids with red bows and she wears a thin raggedy coat that has more holes than fabric.

She snaps her head up, her tired grey eyes, red and swollen. On instinct he walks closer and sits next to the girl. "Why are you crying?" he asks.

"My momma and dadda threw me away," she whispers. A soft hiccup comes out of her throat. "They don't want me, they –hiccup- said that everything is my –hiccup- fault."

"Why? What did you do?" Peeta asks.

"I don't know." She starts to cry again, Peeta notices her shivering violently. On instinct, he takes off his scarf and wraps it around her small frail body. She freezes as he slowly tucks the end of the fabric into her jacket. Then he stands up and offers her a hand. "Come on," he says. "My mommy and daddy can help you."

She stays still for a minute, not knowing whether to trust him or not. She may only be 4 years old, but she had bad experiences with people, especially boys. Her abusive father, for instance. But something about those kind blue eyes didn't make her feel scared, she felt safe and warm. She cautiously takes his hand.

"Say that again sweetie?" Mary Mellark is the mother of Peeta and their newest addition to the family, Primrose. She was extremely shocked when her son brought home a girl from the woods.

"My name is Katniss," she mumbles.

"You are Edward's daughter, right?" Joshua Mellark asks. She nods slowly.

Joshua runs his hands through his blond hair. He looks furious, "How can he, of all people do this!" he yells, waving his hands in the air. "He may be in debt but this is just… unacceptable!"

As he continues to yell, Katniss lets out a shriek and runs to the corner of the room. Peeta tells his father to stop and points at Katniss. She sits in fear, raising her hands up like she is protecting her face.

"Please- please don't hurt me…"

"Hurt you? Why would I do that?"

"You're not going to hurt me?" she asks. Joshua shakes his head then tells Peeta to take her to the kitchen and grab a snack. As they walk out the door, they notice a long pink line on Katniss's wrist. When they are out if earshot, he talks to Mary.

"What are we going to do? Katniss is only 4 years old for crying out loud! How can they beat her?"

"I know the Everdeen's are terrible people but not towards their children." Mary says.

"So what do we do?" Joshua asks.

"We give her a better home."

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**Thanks for reading! An awesome reviewer pointed out that Katniss and Peeta are a little too young (2 years old) in my original version, so this one is edited and slightly more realistic (4 years old). If you see anymore problems, feel free to tell me. I change it ASAP.**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

~14 years later~

Sunlight pours into the Science lab, shining on the test tube and glass beakers left to dry by the window. Katniss sighs to herself as she doodles on the corner of her notebook. Although she isn't as good as her brother Peeta, she has just enough technique to make a decent drawing.

The teacher snaps his fingers in front of her face, which breaks her out of her daydream. "Miss Mellark, what do you think you're doing?"

"Umm… I was… taking notes," she stutters.

"Those don't look like notes to me," he replies pointing to the drawing. "If you really were paying any attention, you should be able to answer the question on the board." Katniss looks at the board and squints slightly; biology isn't her favourite subject. That would be Prim's.

She looks around the board trying to decipher what Mr. Goldman was teaching about. A few words stand out to her, "Mutations", "Equation" and "Genetic Drift". "The answer is ," she answers; it comes out more like a question.

The teacher nods at her before returning to the board. She sighs in relief and makes a mental note to thank her sister. Ringing sounds of the school bell echoes through the hallways and classrooms as Katniss swings her school bag onto her shoulder. Keeping her gaze onto the ground, she navigates through the wave of students.

Suddenly she trips on something and falls to the ground. Her books are scattered all around her with random worksheets flying out of them. "Hey Kitty-Kat," says a boy in a mocking tone. "How are you doing today?" Katniss keeps her eyes fixed to the floor as she picks up her books. The same boy gives her a kick and she falls to the floor again.

"What's wrong Kitty-Kat? Can't get up?" She knows who that voice belongs to, Marvel Coy, the schools most brutal and violent student. A crowd forms along the pair, girls whisper while boys snicker. Soon they start to chant, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Leave her alone Marvel." Katniss recognizes that voice, she looks up and her grey eyes meet sapphire ones. "What are you going to make me do Mellark?"

"Well, I could tell everyone here what happened last Saturday night…"

Marvel's eyes widen, he grumbles slightly. "We'll meet again Kitty-Kat." As he walks away, the crowd disperses. Peeta bends down to help his sister pick up her things. "Are you okay?" his voice filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine." She picks up the last worksheet and stuffs it in her backpack the pulls the zip. She takes her brother's hand and they walk towards the parking lot. "Come on, let's go pick Prim up." Katniss nods and puts her head on Peeta's shoulder.

As they walk towards the primary school, Peeta spots lavender, growing in the crack of the sidewalk. He plucks one and gives it to Katniss. "Remember this?" Katniss nods and takes the plant from him; she wraps it around her hand like a bracelet.

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_Peeta & Katniss- 7 years old_

_Spring has finally arrived after a long and harsh winter. Little Peeta takes Katniss's hand as they run through the meadow that lies behind the Mellark house. Wild flowers of all colours have started to bloom, springing up in every direction. The children finally take a seat on the soft grass, exhausted from the long sprint._

_"__See Katniss, I told you I'm faster! I'm like a cheetah!" He cheers. _

_"__Okay," she takes another deep breath. "You win. At least I can beat you when it comes to sneaking."_

_"__Yep! You are the quiet fox and I am the fast cheetah!" Katniss giggles then sits up. She picks a small jasmine that grows in a bush by her feet. "Peeta, what's your favourite flower?"_

_Peeta sits up and puts a hand under his chin. "I think I like sunflowers. They are so big and very pretty."_

_"__I think I like jasmines the most. They smell so nice."_

_"__What!" Peeta puts his hands on his head and tries to give a very surprised look. "Their so boring, they don't have any colour."_

_"__Yes they do, they're white. I like white."_

_"__I thought you like green?"_

_"__Well I thought you like orange, but sunflowers are yellow," Katniss replies. She plucks the petals off the jasmine, letting it fall to the ground. Suddenly she feels a sense of dread, like something (or someone) would spring up on them at any moment. "Peeta, I'm scared."_

_"__What? Why?"_

_"__What if my parents come back? I don't wanna go back with them," she says. A tear slides down her face. She never told anyone how her real mom and dad treated her; Joshua and Mary knew of course and have talked with her about it but she never gave them any information. All they knew was that the Everdeens have beaten her a few times then kicked her out They have no idea of all the other sorts of abuse they did to her, it made her shudder to just think about it._

_Peeta wipes the tear off her cheek. "Don't worry, they won't come and if they do, I'll hide you under my bed."_

_ "__You will?" _

_Peeta nods, "We protect each other, I will protect you and you will protect me." He gets up and walks towards a small clearing of lavenders. Picking one, Peeta takes each end and ties them together making a circle. "Here," he says, giving the bracelet to Katniss. "This is our promise bracelet, it means that we will keep our promise no matter what."_

_Katniss takes it and slides it onto her wrist then she makes one for her brother and puts it on his. "What about Prim?" _

_"__This can be our secret thing. Only for us." _

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The car ride to Prim's school was short; Katniss watches the tires speed along the dusty road from the side mirror. The dust forms little clouds that disappear as quickly as they were made. Prim sits at the back of the car singing along to Taylor Swift's new single. The car suddenly comes to a jerking halt causing the kids to jolt.

"Oh my God, are you guys okay?"

"Ya… what happened?"

"I don't know, I think I ran over something…" Peeta swings the car door open and climbs out. His face turns to horror and he runs to motions for Katniss to come over. "What's wrong?" Katniss ask.

As she approaches the Peeta, she sees what he's staring at. Beneath the left wheel lies a ginger cat, blood slowly seeps out from its stomach. Katniss stares in alarm at the cat, immediately she goes down for a closer look. The cat's stomach barely moves up and down but at least it's breathing. "We need to get mom!"

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**Like? Please review!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh MY GOODNESS! Thanks for all the reviews guys! You have no idea how happy it makes me when I read them. Here's the next chapter!**

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Chapter 2

Mary gathers the feline in her arms and rushes into over to the examination room. Prim follows her mother while Katniss and Peeta stay in the waiting area, both unable to provide any help.

Katniss lays her head on her brother's lap. She watches him play around with her braid. "Why do you always tie your hair like this?" he asks.

"I don't know. I like I guess." The air becomes still and Peeta pulls out his sketchpad. The scratching sound of the pencil is comforting to Katniss ears; she listens to the rhythm of pencil strokes flying back and forth across the page. Slowly, drowsiness pulls Katniss into a deep slumber.

_Peeta & Katniss- 5 years old_

_Little Katniss grips the edge of her class desk so tightly her knuckles turn white. Peeta notices her change of behavior and tries to calm her, "Are you alright?" he asks. Katniss shakes her head; she has never had contact with this many people before. _

_Edward Everdeen's most common form of abuse was solitary confinement. Katniss would be locked in her tiny closet of a room without any food or water for days. Being in a classroom filled with noisy kids made the little girl feel anxious._

_A lady in her mid-20s walks into the room. Her beautiful black hair tied into a ponytail, she had striking grey eyes similar to Katniss. Her face was bright and cheerful with a kind smile. She reminded Katniss of her real mother 3 years ago, before she became abusive. She shudders at the thought and fixed her gaze to her hands._

_After introductions, Mrs. Berry decides to give her students a friendly activity. "Okay class, let's have some fun! Does anyone here have special talent?" The class is silent other than the whispers from the corner of the room. Slowly Peeta raises his hand, "My sister can sing."_

_Katniss stares at him in horror. It was bad enough that was sitting in a room filled with people, now she has to sing to them. "Come on sweetie, let's here you sing," Mrs. Berry exclaims. _

_Slowly Katniss pushes her chair back, making a high-pitch screeching sound. Time slows down for her as she walks up towards the blackboard and turns around to face her peers. Mrs. Berry signals her to begin but Katniss stays silent. Her hands are sweaty and heart beating a mile per minute. _

_She closes her eyes and tries to remember the last time she heard a song. Edward had such a magnificent voice, she was sure the birds stopped just to listen to him. He used to sing to her, every night before she went to sleep. The song flows out of her lips._

_"__You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

_You make me happy, when skies are grey._

_You'll never know dear, how much I love you._

_Please don't take my sunshine away."_

_The song finishes and Katniss slowly opens her eyes. All eyes are on her, some filled with awe and some with jealousy. A blush creeps up Katniss's face as she makes her way back to her desk. _

Prim giggles at the sight she beholds. Peeta has fallen asleep with a pen in his ear and his sketchpad on the floor while Katniss has her head on Peeta's lap, asleep as well. She picks up the sketchpad then gently shakes her sister awake. Katniss's eyes flutter open, "Hey little duck," she whispers.

"Hey Katniss. Mom and I are done fixing up Buttercup."

"Buttercup?" Katniss asks. "Ya, Mom said that this cat is a stray. He doesn't have a home, so we're keeping him!"

As Prim continues to talk about their new pet, Mary quietly walks into the room, holding Buttercup. Now that it's not covered in blood, Katniss could have a better look at it. Buttercup's coat was almost completely shaved off and replaced with stiches from its stomach to its back. Half of its ear is missing and its nose is mashed in. What's left of the cat's coat was a disgusting colour of rotten squash.

Mary set Buttercup on the counter and grabbed a pet cone; she gently wrapped the belt around its neck and secured it. "Katniss, why don't you and Peeta walk home while Prim and I buy some cat supplies."

"Okay mom." Gently, she shakes Peeta awake.

The buzzing sound of the doorbell echoes throughout the house, breaking Katniss's concentration. Setting her homework down, she rubs her tired eyes and rushes to the door. Slowly opening the door, she stares at the couple in front of her with her jaw dropped.

"Hello child."

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**Ooh, how is the story? Like? Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update. (Hey that rhymed. LOL) Please enjoy this new chapter!**

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Chapter 3

_Previously: Slowly opening the door, she stares at the couple in front of her with her jaw dropped. "Hello child."_

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><p>Katniss stands by the door shocked; her knees felt wobbly like she could fall any moment. Edward reaches out to her but Katniss flinches. "Come on child. Don't you want to say hello to your father?"<p>

"No… you're not my father… You never were!" she yells.

"Now tabby," Sierra coos, "You don't want to _disobey_ us do you?" She slowly walks closer to Katniss. Every time she takes a step, Katniss steps backwards until her back hits the wall. "You know what happens if you _misbehave_, don't you?" she asks.

Katniss's breath quickens, her vision becomes cloudy and she feels light headed. She releases an ear-piercing scream and falls to the floor, shaking.

Peeta is startled from a loud 'thump' outside. He removes the sketchbook from his lap and walks towards the front door. "Katniss!" he yells. He kneels beside her and gathers her in his arms. He spots the Everdeens standing by the door and feels rage building up in his body.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" he yells. Peeta throws a punch at Sierra and she tumbles backwards, landing on her behind. Edward stomps towards Peeta and slaps him across the face. The force is so strong that it pushes Peeta to the ground. "You will learn to respect your elders," Edward says in a sinister voice. Peeta tries to get up but earns another slap across the face and a kick to the stomach.

Suddenly Edward hears a hissing sound and is greeted by Buttercup. He pounces onto Edward's face, digging his claws into the apples of his cheeks. Prim appears from behind with a bag of cat supplies in her left hand and pulls out a huge ball of yarn with her right. She hurls it and it lands on Sierra's side.

Edward yanks Buttercup from his face and throws him to the ground. He lets out another hiss and darts away. Before the Everdeens can attack Prim, Mary emerges, holding her cellphone. "Don't even think about it, I recorded everything", she says with confidence. "I have enough evidence to put you both in jail for another 13 years. You better think twice about what you want to do next, or I'll call the police."

Edward growls at Mary and pulls Sierra to the door. When they are out of sight, Prim and Mary runs towards Peeta and Katniss. They never noticed a small slip of paper on the ground.

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><p><em>Katniss- 4 years old<em>

_The girl lets out another scream as the thin cane lands on her face. "Shut up! You will obey us and that is final!" Sierra screams. She tosses the cane to the ground and grabs Katniss by the collar. Her breath smells of alcohol and cigarette. "You good for nothing! I wish I never had you!" she throws her to the ground and kicks her face. _

_Edward suddenly runs into the room, his eyes filled with rage and… terror? "They found out Sierra. They know what we do to her," he says pointing to the girl. _

_ "__We send her away tonight then." She grabs a small cloth filled with holes and tosses it to Katniss. "Go you brat! We don't want you anymore!" Katniss's eyes are filled with fear, "B-b-but where do I-I-I go?"_

_ "__I don't care! You are a dumb girl who doesn't deserve to live! I don't care if you die or rot on the sidewalk!" She kicks Katniss and Edward joins her. They continue kicking her small body until she is pushed to the front door._

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><p>Peeta sits by Katniss, stroking her hair softly. Dr. Aurelius gave Katniss a sedative earlier to stop her shaking. Prim walks into the bedroom and passes Peeta an ice pack. "Thanks," he mumbles. He places it on his bruise abdomen and he lets out a sigh.<p>

"Will they come back?" asks Prim. She tugs at the hem of her shirt nervously. "Maybe, I… I'm not so sure," Peeta says nervously. Buttercup jumps onto the bed and snuggles into the covers; just then, Katniss starts to twitch. She mumbles a little, sweat forms on her forehead. Peeta and Prim stare at their sister, shocked and confuse.

Soon, her twitching escalates to trembling and she starts to shake really badly. "Help… please… STOP!" Peeta cradles Katniss in his arms, she starts to trash and kick furiously. "Katniss… Katniss! Wake up, it's okay, it's not real."

"Peeta?"

"We're here Katniss," says Prim. She takes a seat by Katniss with Buttercup squashed between them. He lets out a pained yowl and jumps off the bed. Peeta gentle places Katniss's head on the pillow and ushers his sister out of the room, "Peeta, will you… stay with me?" asks Katniss.

He turns and smiles, "Always." Then he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and strokes Katniss's head as she falls into a dreamless sleep.

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><p>'Crunch'. Prim lifts up her foot where a small note sticks to her slipper. She picks it up and unfolds it, inside is a single sentence.<p>

_"__We are coming for her."_

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**Was that intense enough? I literally spent 5 days staring at a blank screen. **

**I know a ball of yarn isn't that... deadly but I couldn't find a kitty toy that has spike coming out of it or something. Makes sense, you don't want your pet to be playing with something so dangerous LOL. A ball of yarn is just as good I guess :P.**

**I won't be uploading the next chapter until I finish my other story 'Stronger.' Lucky for you guys, it's really soon. Just give me a week, 2 tops.**

**Review please!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I said I'll update when I finished my other story... But I just couldn't resist! It was just sitting there, begging to be published!**

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Chapter 4

Katniss has never been the same since that day. She jumps whenever someone taps her shoulder from behind or catches her off guard. Eventually she relaxed and went back to being her normal self, but that didn't mean that she was going to let her guard down anytime soon.

Today is a Saturday, which means Katniss gets to relax a little and work in the bakery. "Two days with no Marvel," she thinks to herself. Gently, she squeezes the small bag filled with light pink frosting; it makes a perfect swirl on the vanilla cupcake baked with strawberry pieces. When she's satisfied with it, she moves to the next one.

The door opens, ringing the bell that hangs above it. A young girl walks in, her blond curls bounce with every step. Katniss puts the piping bag away and walks to the cashier. "Welcome to the Mellark Bakery, how can I help you?"

"Hi… umm I'll just have some bread."

"Okay. That'll be 3 dollars." The girls hands Katniss the money and she walks to the pantry to grab the bread. "I've never seen you here before, are you new?" Katniss asks.

"Ya, my family and I are from San Francisco. We just got here a week ago."

"How are you liking Seabrook Island so far?" asks Katniss.

"It's really beautiful, my mom and I are planning to go to the beach today."

Just as Katniss was about to reply, Peeta walks out of the kitchen, holding a batch of steaming cheese buns. He spots the girl and his jaw almost drops, "H-h-hi…" he stutters.

Katniss raises an eyebrow at her brother then turns back to the girl. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Katniss Mellark and that's my brother, Peeta."

"I'm Guinevere Trinket. My friends just call me Glimmer for short." Katniss hands Glimmer the paper bag containing the bread and smiles. "Here you go, have a nice day." Glimmer thanks Katniss and walks out the door. When she's gone, Katniss turns to Peeta.

"Why were you stuttering? You never stutter."

"I… umm… oh look at that, the cake's done." Peeta sets the cheese buns down and retreats to the kitchen. Katniss blocks his path and she smirks at him. "You have a crush on her, don't you?"

"What! Pfft, no…" His face turns to a deep shade of crimson and Katniss starts to giggle. "Oh come on Peeta, your face is as red as a fire engine."

"My face is red all the time- you know I have to work with ovens," Peeta stammers.

"Yes, but this is a different red. It's the kind that says, _"I'm in love_," says Katniss. Peeta sighs and scratches his arm, "Is it really that obvious?" Katniss nods. "I can't help it, she's so beautiful."

"Ya, I have to admit, she's really pretty." Katniss steps out of Peeta's way and they walk into the kitchen together. She returns to icing the pastries while Peeta stirs the cookie batter.

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~Monday~

Peeta freezes and his mouth hangs open, before him stands Glimmer and 2 other girls. Katniss uses her finger to close his jaw, "Peeta, I know she's pretty and all, but you're acting like a fish caught on a hook." Peeta is frozen, he can't move or respond. Katniss sighs and tugs at his arm, "Come on."

"Oh hi Katniss!" exclaims Glimmer.

"Hey Glimmer, you remember my brother right?"

"Of course, hi Peeta."

"H-h-hi…" Peeta stutters. Suddenly, his shoes seem more interesting. "Katniss, these are my best friends, Clove and Madge."

"Nice to meet you girls." She looks at Peeta and motions him to say something. "Umm…"

Katniss mentally slaps her forehead, "Well we gotta go, see you around."

As they leave, Glimmer turns back to the girls. "Well, that was… interesting." The girls start to giggle and walk to their class.

"Peeta's really cute," exclaims Madge.

"Ya… but he's not really my type," says Glimmer.

"Do you see how he drools over you?" asks Clove. "I think he has a crush on you. I bet you can wrap him around your little pinkie."

"What are you saying Clove?"

"I dare you," she says, "to date him then break his heart."

She considers this for a minute then smiles at her friends, "I accept."

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**Ooh, what's gonna happen next? **

**I just want you guys to know, I do not live in the United States. I just did research and Seabrook Island is located where District 12 would be (kinda... Just estimating.)**

**So the setting in the story will probably not match the actual place, so don't take what I write seriously okay?**

**Also, I used that place as an excuse for a beach. SHOUT OUT TO ANYBODY WHO LIVES THERE!**

**Please review!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	6. Bad news

Hey guys, I've got bad news.

3 days ago, my computer started to conk out. We went to Apple to see if they could help, but they said they'd only do it if we make an appointment or something. Long story short: I don't know how long it'll be until I can upload the next chapter. It's already written, it just needs to be uploaded.

Again, sorry guys. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be fixed in about 2 days. But probably not. Mom says it might take up to 2 weeks. ARGH!

Oh, and if you're wondering, I'm typing this on my IPhone using desktop mode on ... It's pretty hard.

TheSnowyAngel


	7. Chapter 6

**OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! MY COMPUTER IS FIXED! Big thanks to my dad and his colleagues who helped.**

**Now for a chapter to celebrate!**

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Chapter 5

Peeta sighs and puts his pen down. He stares at his essay and runs his hand through his hair. He glances at his sister, her tongue is sticking out slightly and her eyebrows are creased in concentration. "How is it that you have so many things to write about?" he whispers.

"I like writing… I guess it just comes to me."

"Mr. Mellark!" yells Mr. Abernathy, "I'd appreciate it if you could stop talking and get back to work." Peeta rolls his eyes and looks back at the piece of paper. He hasn't even written have a title yet. Katniss slips a note onto Peeta's table then gets back to work. The note reads:

_"Just write about your favourite memory."_

Peeta smiles and stuffs the note in his pocket then gets to work.

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_Katniss and Peeta- 10 years old_

_"Katniss! Where are you?" yells Peeta. He climbs up the stairs and marches to Katniss's bedroom. He spots her lying on the bed with a pen and a notebook. She scribbles something in the book with so much speed and concentration that she doesn't notice Peeta in the room._

_"Hello? Katniss?" She still doesn't notice his presence. Frustrated, he snatched her notebook and takes a peak. "Peeta!" Katniss yells._

_"What is this… are these… stories?"_

_"Yes," she replies sheepishly. "They aren't good, I know."_

_"What! They're amazing," he proclaims. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"It was supposed to be a secret." She takes back the notebook from his hands and sits down in a huff._

_"Wanna see my secret hobby?" He runs to his bedroom then returns with a folder and gives it to Katniss. Inside are all kinds of artwork varying from portraits of people to landscapes. "Peeta, this is amazing! You should be an artist!"_

_"I think you should be a writer."_

_"Okay, how about this?" asks Katniss. "I'll be a writer if you do the illustrations."_

_"Deal!"_

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The bell rings and Peeta hands his paper to Mr. Abernathy. He tries to scan the classroom for Katniss but he is lost in the crowd of students. Suddenly, Glimmer stands by the door, blocking Peeta's path. "Hey Peeta."

"H-h-hey G-gl-glimmer…"

"So… I heard there's a new restaurant downtown…" Glimmer says. From the corner of her eye, she can see Clove and Madge spying on her. "… I was wondering… would you like to go out with me?"

"W-wh-what?"

"You know… like a date… maybe?"

"Umm… okay-"

"That's great! Meet me at your bakery!"

"Wait… tonight?" Peeta asks alarmed.

"Sure why not?" Glimmer then pulls out a slip of paper and gives it to Peeta. "Call me!" she winks then walks away.

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**I'll probably update tomorrow, it depends on my schedule. And yes, I know the flashback wasn't as good as the others... but it's a super important part in the story. Trust me *wink wink*.**

**As always, review and share!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

"Are you sure about this?" Katniss asks. After returning home, Peeta told everybody about his date that night. Joshua and Mary were ecstatic of course, Prim kept gushing over how romantic it all sounded. Katniss's senses however, were heightening with suspicion.

"I told you," he replies, "She just… asked me out."

"Just like that?" Peeta nods. "You do know that 99% of girls never ask a boy out. Nobody ever has the guts to do that."

"I guess she's different, she's not like other girls." He adjusts his tie then turns to Katniss. "How do I look?"

"Meh…" she replies. Peeta takes a look at his watch then walks to the door. "Well, I gotta go. I'll be back before 10."

"Have fun!" Mary says.

* * *

><p>Glimmer fidgets with her dress nervously as she waits for Peeta. <em>"What if I screw this up?"<em> she thinks to herself. _"What if I slip and he finds out?"_ She is dragged out of her thoughts as Peeta taps her shoulder from behind.

"Oh… hi Peeta. Ready to go?" Peeta nods and they walk to the restaurant together.

~At the restaurant…

"So Peeta… tell me about yourself," says Glimmer.

"Umm… there's not much to say really…"

"Come on Peeta, there has to be lots for you to talk about. Tell me about your siblings. You have a younger sister too right?"

"You mean Prim? Ya… just me, her and Katniss."

"It seems like you guys are either named after bread or plants."

"I suppose so…"

After paying, the pair decides to walk the long way back home. As they walk, they continue to converse on their favourite hobbies. Turns out, Glimmer loves to draw as well. She has a huge collection of abstract art that is enough to fill a gallery.

While they talk, Glimmer feels guilt rising in her chest. She just shakes her head and pushes it down. Soon they arrive to Glimmer's home, which conveniently is just 2 blocks away from Peeta's.

"I had a really fun time Peeta. Thanks." She stands on her tiptoes and gives Peeta soft kiss.

Later, Peeta walks home grinning like an idiot. That was his first kiss ever.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! How was that? Like it? What are your views on Glimmer?<strong>

**Tell me in the reviews! ;D**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

~6 weeks later~

Katniss groans to herself as she watches Glimmer giggle at something Peeta said. She had this weird feeling inside that something wasn't right. She shakes her head and continues writing.

Mr. Heavensbee clears his throat and taps on Katniss's table. She looks up at him in confusion. The entire class starts to laugh and she feels her face go red. "Ms. Mellark, I was asking if you could take our new student on a tour of the school."

"Umm… sure?" It comes out more like a question.

"Great. You'll be guiding Mr. Odair." He points to a young man standing behind him. He gives Katniss a wink and a smirk. _"I think I'm going to puke,"_ she thinks.

"Hey there. My name is Finnick!" He gives his hand out for Katniss to shake. She just looks at him weirdly and goes back to writing. "I'm Katniss," she mumbles. The bell rings and she stuffs her notebook into her pocket and tucks her pen on her ear. "Come on… let's get this over with."

As they walk down the hallway, she sees girls looking at her in envy. She just rolls her eyes and continues walking. They pass Peeta and Glimmer and Katniss lets out another sigh.

"Do you have a crush on that guy?" asks Finnick. Katniss stumbles and drops her books on Finnick's foot. "OW!" he yells. Katniss apologizes. "It's okay," replies Finnick. "So do you like him or what?"

"NO! He's my brother!"

"Woops. Sorry… that's weird though." He says as they walk into the music room. "He doesn't look anything like you."

"Yes, so?" She stares daggers at him then takes a seat. _"Wow,"_ Finnick thinks, _"This chick is gonna be harder than I thought."_

He finds an empty spot by Katniss and takes a seat. She just ignores him and stares out the window. The teacher, Cinna, walks in. He takes the register and starts to call out names. When he finishes, he walks to the white board and writes in big letters:

**_"_****_Duet assignments"_**

"Okay class, you see what's on the board. Pick a partner then pick a song. One of you has to sing while the other plays an instrument. You may begin now."

Katniss turns around and searches the class for her brother. Too late, he picked Glimmer… Again. "Hey," she whips her head and sees Finnick. "You wanna partner up with me?"

She sighs, "Can you play the guitar?"

"Yup," he replies, popping the 'p'.

"Then let's do it."

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..

.

Finnick taps on the guitar while looking at the music sheets Katniss gave him. "So, can you play it?" she asks. Finnick nods, Katniss grabs a microphone. Together, they walk to the auditorium where everyone else is gathered. Finnick sets his guitar down by a speaker and pulls out some sugar cubes.

"Want a sugar cube?" he asks. Katniss shakes her head. "Oh come on, it'll help you warm up."

"I don't see the logic in that," she stats.

"Just take the darn sugar!"

"Fine. Sheesh." Katniss pops the sugar cube in her mouth and lets it sit there. It slowly melts and Katniss smiles in delight as the sugar spreads through her body. It definitely lifted her spirits.

They watch as Glimmer sings on stage with Peeta playing the keyboard. Then Cinna calls them on stage.

She looks at Finnick; giving him the signal then starts singing.

_"__If I die young, bury me in satin."_

_"__Lay me down on a bed of roses,"_

_"__Sink me in the river, at dawn."_

_"__Send me away with the words of a love song."_

Finnick watches Katniss in awe. Something was definitely weird about her; she refuses to even look at him for more than a second, she doesn't fall for his charm and now, she is the one who draws him in. Finnick was puzzled, he definitely wasn't used to this.

_"__A penny for my thought, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar."_

_"__They're worth so much more, after I'm a goner."_

_"__Then maybe you will hear, the words I've been singing."_

_"__Funny when you're dead, how people start listening..."_

Peeta smiles at Katniss, she still has that voice that makes the birds stop to listen. It's been a while since she's sung. She refuses too, even when Prim pleads her, which is extremely rare.

_"__The sharp knife, of a short life."_

_"__Well…"_

_"__I've had, just enough time…"_

Katniss sings the last note and rubs her arm nervously. To her surprise, everyone gave her a standing ovation; there were even some hoots in the crowd. Katniss blushes and walks backstage.

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**Yay Finnick! Did you like it? Leave a review! If you didn't already know, the song is "If I Die Young" by "The Band Perry".**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Katniss sighs as she watches her little sister sort through the contents of her closet. Tonight, Peeta invited Glimmer and her mother to dinner at their place. To Prim, that meant she needed to dress up. "Katniss, you must have something to wear here…"

"I told you Prim, I don't like dresses." Prim raises her hands in defeat and walks towards the door. "Where are you going?" she asks.

"To Mom's room. She must have something for you to wear." Katniss gives out an exaggerated sigh and jumps into her bed. She watches Buttercup, struggling to remove the green bow from its neck. Katniss giggles and picks up the cat. "I know how you feel buddy." She unwraps the bow and tosses it to the side.

Buttercup gives her a content meow and snuggles close to Katniss. Prim comes back in later with a black dress in hand. She groans when she spots the green bow tossed aside. "Fine Buttercup, you don't need to wear it." She hands Katniss the dress and leaves her with Buttercup to change.

Katniss inspects the dress; she runs her fingers over the soft material. Cotton? In the light, the dress isn't black but a dark shade of grey. She pulls the spaghetti strap up so it doesn't slip down her shoulder. "Here let me help." Mary stands by the door with a smile on her face.

She helps Katniss adjust the straps so that it's not too loose and ties her hair in a special braid. "There, you look beautiful." Katniss thanks her mother and they walk towards the kitchen. As she helps Mary prepare the food, she plans a strategy on how she's going to make Glimmer spill.

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..

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The doorbell rings and Peeta immediately jumps to his feet. He returns to the living room with Glimmer and an older woman who presumably her mother. Katniss and Prim struggle to keep their giggles down, Glimmer's mother looks ridiculous.

When you look at her, the first thing that grabs your attention is her bizarre hairstyle; her big and puffy orange curls are streaked with bright pink highlights. Every step she takes makes a clicking sound from her bright blue high-heels. And don't get Katniss started on her clothes; its covered in so many sequins that makes her squint slightly as she walks closer. The lady kisses Mary's cheeks and gives Joshua a firm handshake. "It's nice to finally meet you! My name's Effie," she says in a shrill voice.

"The pleasures ours," replies Mary. "And I must say, your daughter is all Peeta described her to be." Glimmer blushes while Peeta hurries Mary into the kitchen before she could embarrass him further.

Katniss stares at Glimmer with a hint of disgust on her face. The shimmering pink décolleté gown clings to Glimmer's body, showing off all her curves. Her face is caked with mascara and lip-gloss. At least it was better than Effie's, whose face looked more like a ruined canvas.

The group takes a seat at the dining table as Prim and Mary brings out the food. Mary and Joshua take turn asking Effie questions about her role in the fashion industry. Prim nearly chokes when they hear that Effie is the "Chief Operating Officer" of Forever 21 in the South Carolina state.

As the adults talk, Katniss watches Peeta rub his hand on Glimmer's affectionately. She narrows her eyes at her, if looks could kill, Glimmer would be a rotting carcass. "So Glimmer, what's San Francisco like?" she asks with minimal interest.

"It's okay I guess, the winters aren't as cold there but I'll manage," she says with a smile. "Uh huh…" Katniss replies.

The talk at the table is light, Katniss tries to think of more things to ask Glimmer but her mind is blank. _"Come on Katniss!"_ she thinks to herself. She stabs her vegetables in frustration, her fork scraps against the ceramic plate. Prim looks at her, "Are you okay?" she quietly asks her.

"I'm fine," she says with gritted teeth. After dinner, Prim excuses herself and pulls Katniss to the kitchen and shuts the door. "Katniss, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Come on sis, I know something's up. Whenever you're stress, you start to frown." Immediately Katniss relaxes her face and smiles at Prim. "No… I'm fine, see?" Prim looks at her with an eyebrow raised. "I'm just worrying about a homework assignment."

"Okay then." Prim walks to the fridge and pulls out a tray with mini-cakes. They walk to the kitchen start to serve it to everyone. Katniss stops halfway from taking a bite out of her cake. She watches Glimmer giggle something at Peeta said and bursts.

"Why do you like my brother?" she asks.

"Wh-wh-what?" Glimmer stutters. Her palms start to sweat and she feels cold.

"I mean, you just said hi to him on the day we first met then suddenly ask him out the next. I may not have dated ever, but something is definitely off."

"Katniss…" Peeta says.

"No Peeta, I have stood by long enough. What's your deal Glimmer?" she asks. Glimmer turns pale and she tremors slightly.

"Katniss, can I have a word?" Peeta asks.

"What is wrong with you?" he asks when they are out of earshot. He felt irritated at Katniss, which has never happened before. "Could you just stop doing this for one night?" he asks. "You've been doing this ever since Glimmer and I started dating!"

"Don't you see that Glimmer isn't who you think she is?" she asks him. "Something is wrong with her Peeta!"

"Why are you doing this? You are the one that encouraged me to talk to her that day? You're talking as if she's cheating on me or something."

"I'm pretty sure she is!" she yells. "No girl would change so quickly! Your head is in the clouds Peeta!"

"Unless you have some proof, which you won't find, I'm going to act like this talk never happened. I hope you realize how childish you sound right now." He storms out of the room leaving a frustrated Katniss behind. Instead of following him, she sprints to her room and slams the door.

Meanwhile Glimmer panics. _"I have to break up with him tonight, before he finds out!"_ she thinks.

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**And Effie enters! Please leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey guys. **

**So a guest reviewer was saying that Seabrook Island isn't close to District 12. He/She suggested that I should pick Jersey Shore instead. I don't think I'm going to change it because:**

**1. I'm lazy**

**2. Honestly it doesn't matter. I'm just using the name of this place to make it more real. The city is completely fictional. Which is why I said to not take what I write seriously.**

**Thanks for the suggestion though (you know who you are :D). Also, this is the longest chapter I've written! WOO HOO!**

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Chapter 9

Katniss flops onto her bed and screams into her pillow. _"Why must Peeta be so stubborn!" _she thinks. She picks up a pen and some paper and writes out her feelings. Whenever Katniss feels frustrated, she tends to write short stories to help vent out her frustrations.

A few hours pass, Katniss's ears perk up at the sound of the front door opening and closing. Glimmer and her mother must have left. She puts her pen down and goes to the bathroom to take a shower.

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..

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Glimmer paces around in circles. Her friends, Clove and Madge, sit at the edge of her bed, giving her their opinion. "Then what happened?" Clove asks.

"She asked what my deal was. Girls, I think- no, I KNOW she suspects."

"Glim, I think you need to break up with him tonight," Madge says.

"I know, but… I don't think I want to."

"Wait what!" the girls exclaim.

"Peeta is a very nice boy, he made me feel so special and loved. Nobody I have ever dated made me feel that way."

"You're falling in love with him?" Madge asks.

Glimmer nods, "I don't know what to do! I'm so confused!"

"This is just a phase Glim, I'm sure you'll get over it soon," Clove replies. "I think you better do it. He might be like all the others."

"Maybe… oh I don't know!"

"Just break up with him. It'll be hard now, but the minute you put down the phone, you'll forget about him." Glimmer thinks about this for a minute, _"Maybe I should, Clove is right. It's probably just a phase," s_he thinks. _"No, this seems cruel!"_ another side of her says.

"Okay… I'll do it." Glimmer picks up her cellphone and punches a few buttons. She puts it on speaker for the other girls to here and waits. The phone rings, once… twice. "Maybe no one is going to pick up…" Glimmer says.

"Just wait Glim," Madge says. The phone continues to ring for another minute until…

"Hello?" _Shoot!_

_._

_.._

_._

"Hello?" Katniss says. _"It better not be Finnick trying to flirt with me again,"_ she thinks.

"Umm… hey Katniss. Where's Peeta?" Glimmer asks.

"Oh… hi Glimmer. He's probably painting. He tends to zone out when he's holding a paintbrush… wait, why are you calling him?" she asks.

"I… umm…" Katniss hears some mumbling in the background, she strains her ears to catch what they're saying. "Katniss," Glimmer asks, "could you tell Peeta to call me later?"

"Sure," she says in a toneless voice. Katniss was about to end the call when she heard Glimmer talking again. Only it wasn't Glimmer, it was Clove. "So, now what?" she asks. _"Glimmer must have forgotten to end the call,"_ Katniss thinks.

"I'll do it when Peeta calls me later," Glimmer replies.

"I wonder what his reaction will be?" Clove says excitedly. "He'll probably cry a river, he's so dumb!" Katniss widens her eyes, what are they talking about?

"I don't know if I should do this, it seems very cruel..." Glimmer says. "I mean, I wouldn't like it if someone dated me for a dare-" Katniss quickly ends the call and puts the phone down. Her knees feel weak, like they could buckle at any second.

She was right about Glimmer… she should be glad… but some part of her wish that she was being irrational, that she could have just been… jealous. Now what's going to happen to her sweet brother? What will he say?

The sound of heavy footsteps echoes down the hall, Katniss could recognize them anywhere. It was Peeta. She quickly places the phone down on the table and sits on the bed. Peeta walks in with splotches of green and yellow paint that covers his hands and jeans. "Oh… hey Katniss," he says small voice.

He notices how anxious she is and takes a seat next to her. "Are you okay? You seem… tense."

Katniss keeps her gaze at the floor. _"How am I going to tell him? He has to know."_ She formulates a plan in her head, _"Just be quick and simple, like ripping off a bandage… it's for his own good Katniss, why are you so nervous?"_

"She tricked you." Katniss meets Peeta's eyes. He looks confused, "What are you talking about?" he asks.

"Glimmer, I heard her over the phone. She only dated you for a bet, she's going to call you later and break up with you," she says in a croaky voice.

"Are you serious!" Peeta yells. Katniss jerks backwards in surprise, "Peeta, I promise you, I'm not lying. I heard her talking to Clove and Madge-"

"First you embarrass Glimmer in front of everyone and now you are suddenly telling me this! How am I not to believe that you are making this up?"

"Peeta, you have to listen to me-"

"No," he cuts her off. "I am done with all this! I am done with you saying things that aren't true!" Then he says the worst thing Katniss could hear,

"I wish I never found you in the forest in the first place!"

Katniss could feel a lump in her throat and her lips began to quiver. Tears stung her eyes and she felt like she was about to collapse. "Peeta-"

"Just go!" Peeta yells.

Fine. I will," she replies, her voice brittle. Katniss runs out the door, into the hallway and out the house. She keeps running until her legs begin to burn. Tears flow down her cheeks freely and she doesn't try to stop them.

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..

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Her kneecaps start to ache and her muscles burn. Katniss keeps running. Pass the woods and the meadow; she doesn't even know where she wants to go. She just keeps running… and running… and running.

Finally she stops running and falls to her knees. Her tears have stopped falling; instead, she starts to sniffle. Katniss raises her head and takes a look at her surroundings; her eyes go wide. The busy trees have been replaced with condemned buildings; dank sidewalks stand in lieu of soft soil. This place seems so familiar, but Katniss couldn't figure out where she is.

Suddenly a cloth is placed over her nose and mouth. It smells like chemicals and something pungent. Katniss tries to scream but chokes on the cloth instead. She starts to feel weak; her eyes start to droop. Katniss fights to stay awake but her effort is futile and she is engulfed in darkness.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Katniss wakes up in a cold dank room. There are no windows, just a steel door at the very corner. There's no furniture either, just an empty space. She tries to move but is restrained by a metal chain that wraps around her body. _"This place looks so familiar,"_ she thinks.

The door swings open; two figures approach her. It takes a while for her to distinguish them; black spots still dance at the corner of her eyes. "Aah, our tabby is awake." That voice… no, it can't be…

"Miss us tabby?" Katniss visions start to clear up, her eyes widen with fear. The figures are her parents. "You are finally home," Sierra says.

Katniss tries to struggle out of chains; it's useless. "Now Katniss, I hope you'll behave this time," Edward says in a gruff voice.

"What do you want with me?" Katniss asks.

"Want with you? We just wanted you home dear," Sierra replies. She notices Katniss struggling against the chains and looks at her with kind eyes. "Are you uncomfortable tabby?" she coos. "Would you like me to get rid of the chains?" Katniss slowly nods; Sierra pulls a key out of her pocket and slides it into a lock. The chains clatter to the ground.

"There, do you feel better?"

"Yes… thank you," she mumbles.

"Speak up child!" Edward booms suddenly. "I will not have a mute child in my household!" Katniss looks up in fear and starts to tremble. "Thank you," she says louder this time.

"You stupid good for nothing girl!" Edward pulls out his belt and starts to whip her. Every lash stings her skin. She looks at her mother; her kind eyes turn dark. She walks out of the room and comes back with a long stick and beats her as well.

Katniss brings her arms over her head to protect her face and curls up in a ball. "Where are you Peeta?" she whispers.

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..

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It's 12 in the afternoon; Mary calls her children to the dining room for lunch. Prim skips down the stairs happily followed by Peeta. "Where's Katniss?" she asks. "I haven't seen her at breakfast either."

Peeta's eyes widened. After their argument last night, Peeta grew so exhausted that he slept in. "You didn't see her at all?" he asks.

"Nope, not since dinner last night."

Peeta starts to panic, "Why don't I check if she's in her room?"

Mary nods and Peeta dashes upstairs. He knocks on Katniss door and waits. Silence. He remembered the conversation from last night; she didn't really run away… did she?

He hastily opens the door and finds her bed unmade and pieces of paper scattered everywhere. His eyes scan the pages; they're filled with disturbing stories. He doesn't even realize how long he's been standing there until Mary walks in. "Peeta, where's Katniss? Is everything okay?"

"She's not here," Peeta says in dismay. "This is all my fault…"

"What are you talking about Peeta?" Mary asks.

"Last night, I yelled at her… I told her that I wished I never found her in the woods," Peeta confesses. "Then I told her to leave, I didn't think she'd run out of the house."

Mary pulls Peeta into a hug; his tears soak the fabric of her shirt. "Don't worry Peeta, I'm sure Katniss is okay.

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_.._

_._

_Crack!_ Katniss feels another sting on her back. After a dozen more whips, Edward kicks her to the side then leaves her in a pool of her own blood. When Katniss is sure he left, she crawls to the side of the room. Every movement produces more pain. Katniss yelps in agony as she leans her burning back against the cool wall, her only source of comfort.

She brings her knees to her chest and starts to sob, "Where are you Peeta? I thought you said you'll protect me…"

"He's not coming." Katniss jumps at the sound of Sierra's voice. She tries to move backwards slowly but tears a muscle in her back. Sierra ignores her howls and continues to speak. "He doesn't love you Katniss. You are just a burden, an extra luggage for him to carry."

She walks closer to Katniss and crouches down beside her. "He's better off without you."

_"__Maybe she's right… I'm the one that's bringing him down… why he doesn't have any friends,"_ she thinks. _"No… he made a promise."_

"He's coming for me," she tells Sierra. "I know he is."

"We'll see about that."

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**Please review! **


	13. Chapter 12

**Okay, so someone told me to "Update or DIE". I've learnt not to underestimate my fellow fangirls so here you go. **

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Chapter 10

Peeta felt anxious as he waited in waiting room of the police station. He watched his parents make calls with family and friends, hoping that at least one of them knew of Katniss's whereabouts. Prim sat beside him, clinging onto a brown envelope that contains pictures, identification cards, anything that could aid the police.

A voice calls them over the intercom. A young lady ushers them into the police office and leads them through a maze of desks and workstations. A young man approaches them with a grim look on his face. He takes over and leads them to his desk. "Hello, my name is Detective Hawthorne. You can call me Gale. I'll be overseeing your case. Please, take a seat."

"Could you please explain the situation to me?" he asks once they're seated.

"My sister is missing," Peeta says rudely. "What's there to explain?"

"Peeta," Joshua warns.

"No it's okay. I was insensitive," Gale says and pulls out a notepad. "Let's start with her details. Could you tell me about your sister?"

Peeta covers pretty much everything, his parents stay silent; he described her features, the last thing she was wearing, anything he could think of. Prim then hands him the brown envelope, Gale takes his time to look through the pictures and the birth certificate.

The air is tense; Mary can sense Peeta's patients running low. "Why don't you take Prim outside? I think there's a park close by." Peeta nods and takes Prim's hand.

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..

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A soft breeze tickles Peeta's skin. He watches Prim feed small pieces of bread to the ducks. He sighs and holds his head in his hands. _"Where are you Katniss?"_

He notices some lavender growing beside his feet. Out of habit, he gathers them in his hands and ties them into a bracelet. "I'll find you soon sis," he whispers then stuffs the bracelet into his pocket.

Suddenly, a figure in black clothing whizzes by. Peeta squints at the figure, trying to make out who he is. His disheveled hair looks so familiar, so does his big hands and jagged fingernails. Realization hits him like a ton of bricks; it's Mr. Everdeen.

He runs to Prim and tells her to get their parents, "What about you?" she asks.

"I'm going after him."

After promising her to keep his phone close to him, he chases Edward down the park and into a narrow alley. Using the shadow of a wall as a hiding spot, Peeta pulls out his phone to snap a few pictures. If Edward had anything to do with his sister's disappearance, he would have some proof.

Suddenly his phone starts to buzz, it's Glimmer. Peeta curses under his breath and silences it before he could attract attention. He looks back up to find Edward has disappeared. He curses once more then walks back towards the police station. On his way back, he calls Glimmer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Glimmer, it's me. I was doing something earlier, so I couldn't pick up the phone."

"Oh, it's fine," Glimmer says. Peeta can sense the nervousness in her voice. "Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yeah… I just needed to talk to you. Could you meet me at the Starbucks?"

"Sure."

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..

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Madge and Clove are sitting at the corner of the coffee shop, each have newspapers in their hands. Glimmer sits by the door, twiddling her thumbs. _"It's just a phase, it's just a phase,"_ she repeats in her head. She takes a sip of her ice tea to calm herself. The waiter arrives seconds later with Peeta's drink. Before he could add some sugar, Glimmer stops him. "He doesn't like sugar in his tea," she says. The waiter nods then walks away. _"Glimmer focus! You shouldn't care about these things!"_ But she knew in her heart she does.

Peeta arrives at the store 10 minutes later and gives her his signature smile. Glimmer feels her anxiety grown in her chest. _"Just a phase."_

"Hey Peeta," she says and gives him a kiss.

"Are you okay, you look pale."

"I'm fine… I just have something to tell you," she says.

"Okay, shoot."

From her peripheral vision, she sees her friends giving her thumbs up. Glimmer bites her lip, her eyes dancing to every corner. "Glimmer, are you okay?" Peeta asks. "You should go see a doctor if you aren't feeling well."

_"__Oh Peeta, why do you need to make this so hard?_" she thinks. Taking a deep breath, she just lets it out. "I'm breaking up with you."

"What? Why?"

"I… I can't explain. It's really difficult Peeta."

"Glimmer, you can tell me what's wrong. You were okay yesterday."

"Peeta, please… don't make this so hard."

"But Glimmer-"

"It was a bet!" she yells. A few customers turn to their direction. Clove and Madge lower their newspapers to get a better view, Clove snickers while Madge looks at her friend with sympathy. Peeta narrows his eyes, "So she was right all along."

"What are you talking about?" Glimmer asks.

"Katniss, she overheard you and- ugh! Why didn't I listen! Now she's missing!"

"Katniss is missing?"

"Yes. And it's all your fault!" He runs out of the store, a thousand eyes land on Glimmer, they all give her looks of disgust. Clove and Madge put down their newspapers and walk to Glimmer's table; they don't say anything for the rest of the day.

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**Told you Gale was a good guy! And YAY, Peeta finally found out! **

**Review please!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	14. Chapter 13

**Quick note before you read this... I don't know ANYTHING about Police work and all that. I did my best to research as much as possible but you can only go so far. [insert NCIS joke here]**

**Nevertheless, enjoy and review!**

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Chapter 11

~2 days later~

Katniss sits at the corner of the room, her hair is in a mess and her dark circles have grown. Since her capture, she hasn't had any sleep or much to eat. Katniss never had torture so intense when she was growing up.

She pulls her knees to her chest and sway from side to side. "We protect each other… he promised… he promised," she repeats. _"Face it,"_ another part of her thinks, _"After that fight, he's not going to promise anything."_

"No… he'll be here."

_"__Ha! Why would he want to help you? You're just a mistake that nobody wants."_ Katniss continues to rock herself until she hears the steel door click. Sierra walks in with her whip.

_Crack!_ "You're worthless," she says. _Slap!_ "A waste." Sierra continues to whip her; every crack and slap is followed by a humiliating comment. _"See? You are worthless; Peeta will never save you. You don't deserve it!"_

Words echo in her head. _"Worthless, waste, mistake. Worthless, waste, mistake."_

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"We have intel," Gale says. He taps a few keys on his keyboard and spins his laptop to the Mellarks. "Thanks to Peeta, we were able to locate Edward and Sierra's hide-out. It is just west from here."

"So what does that mean? Are we going after them?" Prim asks.

"Yes, but the problem is we don't have any proof. Unless we have solid evidence, we can't arrest them."

"Well we can't just sit here!" Joshua raises his voice.

"Calm down sir, what I can do is search around their home. However I need a good reason to suspect the Everdeens have kidnapped your child to get a search warrant. Could you give me any information on Katniss's background?"

"We adopted Katniss when she was 4. Peeta found her in the woods one day, her parents were abusive and just left her in the middle of nowhere."

"That's good. What else?"

Joshua and Mary exchanged looks. Although they know about the abuse, they never really had gotten any full detail. Every time they asked, Katniss would freeze on the spot and her eyes would turn glassy. Eventually they gave up and never brought up the subject. Mary's eyes widen, the video!

She pulls out her phone and shows the detective the recording. Gale watches Edward slap Peeta across the face, Prim appears on the screen. She sneaks to the side and throws Buttercup into the air. Gale chuckles to himself silently as Buttercup lands on Edward's face.

He watches Edward growl into the camera and pull Sierra away from the scene. The video ends and he hands the cellphone back to Mary. "As entertaining as that was," he says, "It isn't proof."

"They left a note too," Prim says. She rummages through her pocket and pulls out the slip of paper. Gale takes a look at it then hands it back to Prim. "That's a good start," Gale says. "But we still need more."

He looks over at Peeta, "From what I can tell, you were closest to her. Is there anything she told you? Anything at all?"

Peeta nods slowly, "Sometimes, she would tell me about what she went through."

"Go on," Gale instructs.

"Umm… once Katniss told me that her parents would lock her in a room with barely anything to eat. They just leave her there for days. Occasionally they would beat her too."

Gale clicks his pen and jots down some notes, "Anything else?"

"No," Peeta says, "That's all she'd share."

"Thanks for the information. I have enough to request for a search warrant."

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..

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Gale stands with his partner, Cato Garcia as Peeta and his family are waiting outside by the police car. Gale bangs on the door, "FBI, please let us in!"

The door swings open revealing a man with greasy hair and a glare on his face. "What do you want?"

"Sir," Cato says, "We're Detective Garcia and Hawthorne. We have a permission from the court to search your home." Gale pulls out the warrant from his jacket and unfolds it. He holds it out for Edward to see, "Please let us in."

"Why should I?"

"Sir, you are suspected to be holding Katniss Mellark in your house. If you don't cooperate with us, we have the right to arrest you as well."

"Let them in Eddie." Sierra says with a sly look on her face, "They won't find her here."

Gale and Cato push pass Edward and begin their search. With their gloves on, they search each room, careful not to miss anything. Without any success, Gale hits his knuckles against the walls, looking for a hollow spot. No luck. He tries the floorboards and taps it lightly with his foot.

Cato continues to search through drawers and cupboards; maybe they have something that would lead them to Katniss. Instead, he finds a small trap door at the bottom of a carpet. "Gale, I found something!"

He pulls out a flashlight and lifts the door. There's a flight of stairs that spiral downwards; drops of water drip down the walls and ceiling. Edward suddenly appears out of nowhere and blocks Cato's path, "You can't go in there!"

"Sir, let me through."

"There's nothing down there! Just the basement."

"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about," Gale says. He follows Cato down the steps; it leads them to a steel door. Right before he could turn the lock, Edward attacks them from behind. He kicks Gale down and hits him with a metal pipe.

Cato tries to pull his Taser from his pocket but Sierra grabs her whip and whacks him from behind. Gale pulls out his walkie-talkie and presses the dial. "Backup! We need-" Edward kicks it out of his hands and crushes it with his foot.

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..

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"Backup! We need-" The transmission comes to an abrupt stop and Peeta's eyes widen. "Mom, call the police! I need to help them!"

"Peeta wait! It's too dangerous."

"Mary it's okay," Joshua says, "I'm going with him. Just get the authorities."

They run into the house and follow the sounds of whips into the basement. Joshua throws a punch to Edward's face and he recoils. He lets out a menacing growl and lunges at Joshua. Meanwhile Peeta tries to grab the whip out of Sierra's grasp. She hisses and swings her arm. The whip lands on Peeta's shoulder.

With Sierra distracted, Cato musters up enough energy to pull out his Taser. He flips the switch and hurls it at her. It misses and she scampers away. Peeta tries to help his father but Cato stops him. "I'll help them, just get your sister!" He points to the door.

Peeta picks himself up and opens the door. He sees Katniss, lying unconscious in the middle of the room. Before he could say anything, he hears a gun click and turns around. "Don't move."


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey guys. Sorry for being so late, I had a lot of homework to do. This is the last chapter, next is epilogue and a surprise. **

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Chapter 12

Sierra holds a gun in her hands. She locks the door behind her and points the gun at Peeta. "Don't move," she says. "Or I'll shoot."

She presses her back against the wall and moves towards Katniss. She pulls at the ends of her hair and forces her to stand. Katniss cries in pain as Sierra presses the gun against her temple, "Now, you're going to walk away with your father and the police," she says. "Or I'll kill her."

Katniss lifts her head up and meets Peeta's gaze. Her face and body is covered in bruises and scrapes. Dried blood sticks to her limbs like glue and her clothes are soaked in gore, yet her eyes light up at her brother.

"P-p-peeta?"

"Shut up!" Sierra yells. She uses her elbow to strike her head. Katniss screams and falls to the ground unconscious.

Peeta resists the urge to punch her. "Sierra, don't do this. You'll be murdering your own child!"

"Murdering? Oh no dearie, you got it all wrong. I'm helping her, that's all I wanted to do," she laughs wickedly. Peeta inches a little closer as she laughs, Sierra subconsciously takes a step back. "She's a useless girl. I'm just helping her to be better."

"By whipping her? By torturing her?" he asks. He takes another step and so does Sierra. "That's not helping at all."

"What do you know? You're just a child!" Without realizing it, she starts to turn and move towards the door. "I tried so hard to help her, but she just had to meet you!"

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..

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Outside the building, black vans start to roll in and surround the area. The doors slide open and cops in bulletproof vests jump out. Two men take Mary and Prim by the arms and lead them away. A lady with fox-like features emerges from her car. She signals her comrades to gather around.

"Detective Emerson!" They greet.

"No time to fool around boys," she says. "Beetee, I want you and Wiress to search for Detective Hawthorne and Garcia's position. Locate their signal and report back to me." They nod and race to their computers. "Thresh, close off the area and set up barriers. Make sure there's an officer to stand guard every 10 feet."

Another car arrives and two officers jump out. "It's 'bout time you showed up," said the detective.

"Well hello to you too Foxy," says Johanna, rolling her eyes. "We had things to do, what's the case?"

Foxy rolls her eyes and hands her a file. "Katniss Mellark, 16, went missing 48 hours ago. Hawthorne was assigned to her case. He suspected her biological parents kidnapped her and got a warrant to search the place."

"So what's happening in there?" asked Enobaria.

"We got a transmission from them, said they needed backup," Foxy says.

Beetee runs towards the officers, "We found them! There appears to be a secret level under the house."

"Move out!" Enobaria yells.

The three officers sneak into the building with their guns loaded. Johanna finds the trapdoor and motions to the others. The walk down the stairs with stealth and find 3 unconscious men on the ground. Edward is nowhere to be seen.

A loud noise comes from the door on their left. Johanna lifts her foot and kicks it down.

Sierra turns her head and starts to fire aimlessly. The detectives retreat to the wall, using it as a shield from the bullets. Johanna pulls out her gun; she loads it and aims at Sierra. Before she could pull the trigger, Edward immerges from the shadows and attacks.

He tackles her to the ground, delivering punches to her face. Enobaria and Foxy tries to help but Sierra pushes them to the ground. With Sierra distracted, Peeta runs to Katniss and tries to wake her up.

"Peeta?" she says groggily.

"I'm here Katniss, we need to leave." She nods and tries to stand up. Suddenly she whips her head to her right and pushes Peeta to the ground.

_BANG!_

Katniss falls to the ground, blood flowing out of her stomach. "KATNISS!" He gets up and runs to her. At that moment, Johanna manages to knock Edward out. She kicks Sierra and pins her to the ground. Sierra doesn't resist, she just laughs wickedly. Enobaria pulls the gun out of her hands while Foxy calls for an ambulance.

"Why did you do that?"

"We protect each other, don't we?" Katniss starts to cough up blood.

"You're going to be okay, we're going to get help-"

"Don't bother Peeta. You know it's too late for me." She starts to feel drowsy, her eyes are starting to close but she fights it.

"Promise me you'll keep drawing," she suddenly says. "Promise me you'll keep making illustrations."

"We're suppose to do it together remember? You write and I draw."

"You can still do it Peeta, you were always good with words." Katniss tries to smile but coughs up more blood instead. "Thank you Peeta, for everything." Then, she closes her eyes.


	16. Epilogue

**Please listen to "Say Something"- Cover by Victoria Justice and Max Schneider. It describes this so well. Imagine Peeta saying all those things to Katniss.**

**Thanks**

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Epilogue

She looks so peaceful," Prim says. She clings onto Buttercup even tighter and walks back to her seat. Peeta stays beside Katniss, holding her hand gently. Her white dress flows down to her knees, her hair is tied in it's usual braid with jasmines weaved in, making her like an angel.

Her hands feel cold and her skin is pale. The mortician did her best to make Katniss look fine and healthy. But anyone with eyes could see her light green veins underneath her thin and pale skin. It was as if she's asleep, Peeta could imagine her eyelids fluttering before revealing her beautiful grey eyes.

Reaching into his pocket, Peeta pulls out the infamous lavender bracelet and slips it onto her frail wrist. He smiles before walking down the steps, towards his family.

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..

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The funeral went by quickly, in no time, Peeta finds himself walks with his family back to the car. Suddenly someone calls his name and he turns around. It was Glimmer, dressed in all black. For once she didn't wear anything scandalous. "I think we should leave you guys for a while," Mary says. "We'll meet you in the car."

They turn to walk away, but before they do, Prim runs to Glimmer and gives her a slap across the face. "That's for my sister!" she yells and runs off crying.

"I deserved that," Glimmer says when Prim is out of sight. Peeta just nods and keeps his head down.

"Look Peeta… I'm sorry-"

"Don't. Just don't," Peeta says. "I'm not in the mood for it."

"I know, but just hear me out for a minute."

Peeta sighs, "Okay. 1 minute. That's all."

"I'm sorry. I really am. And I know saying that doesn't cut it but I mean it. Something happened Peeta, when we were together. I couldn't shake off the feeling that you were different. I still love you Peeta."

"Really? You are choosing this time to say that!" Peeta yells. Glimmer shrinks slightly. "Is this a joke? Another bet? Saying I'm sorry doesn't mean anything and neither is saying I love you. We've said that to each other more than a billion times! And every single time I meant it. But you didn't, you just made a joke out of it!"

"Peeta-"

"No more Guinevere. No more." Glimmer winces; people only say her full name when they're mad. Peeta turns to walk away but stops in his tracks. "I always said I loved you most. But I realize now, it wasn't true."

"It was my sister. It has always been my sister, and now… I'll never have a chance to tell her." He walks off with tears streaming down his face.

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**Hey guys. So I wanted to say a few quick things. **

**1. I didn't write this because I was mean like Veronica Roth or John Green. No, I wrote this as a message. Cherish the people you love. Take every chance you have to say something nice, show how much you love them... because you don't know how long you have with them.**

**2. The special surprise is... BONUS CHAPTERS! **

**Yes, I'll be uploading ****_2_**** bonus chapters. One tomorrow and one the day after. So stay tuned and review... they really mean a lot to me :)**


	17. Bonus 1

**Here is the 1st bonus scene. This was suppose to be placed in the beginning of Chapter 8, but I felt that it would have made the chapter very weird... This is also why it's so short and probably boring to some. Here is the Finniss :)**

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Bonus scene #1- Finnick flirts it up

The sounds of the crashing waves calmed Katniss. This is what she needed after a rough day at the bakery. She removes her slippers and steps into the cool seawater. Katniss imagined herself as a mermaid, swimming around like she writes about in her stories.

Suddenly Finnick jumps at her, causing Katniss to scream in shock and fall backwards onto her behind. Finnick chuckles and approaches Katniss, "Do you need any help?"

"No thanks. I'm good." She pushes herself up and dusts off the sand on her jeans.

"May I ask what a beautiful lady like you is doing all alone?" Finnick asks.

Katniss groans. "Not this again," she says to Finnick.

"A young lady like yourself shouldn't be by herself. You could get abducted and shipped off to a far away land!"

"I think I can take care of myself fine Finnick."

"Oh come on dude! What's it going to take?"

"Nothing. I'm not going to date you! Just leave me alone!" She stomps away her arms folded against her chest. Finnick follows her, his damp feet making annoying squishing sounds as he takes a step.

"No way! Why don't I walk you home."

"No thanks."

"Oh but I insist," Finnick says. He grabs Katniss by the waist and lifts her up like a sack of potatoes.

"Finnick! Let me down!" Katniss yells. She tries to struggle out of his grasps but Finnick has a tight grip.

"No way!" he exclaims.

"Don't make me-"

"What? Are you going to hurt me?" Finnick asks.

"Yep." Katniss kicks between his legs and runs, leaving a groaning Finnick in the sand.

_"__I hate that girl," _he thought.

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**I didn't really like this one because I don't know anything about flirting. I can't even tell when someone is flirting on TV shows. Sorry if this was unbearable but I promise the next one is WAY better.**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


	18. Bonus 2 EVERLARK!

**Hey guys! Last chapter :(.** **This is what would have happened if things went down differently. EVERLARK! **

**Song is "Fix You" by Coldplay.**

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Bonus scene #2- Prom night

~2 years later~

Katniss stares at herself in the mirror. Prim did great at helping her pick out her dress. It's a purple gown that flows to her ankles. It's two layers; the inner layer is a short piece with sparkling glitter and the other layer is a two-piece chiffon material that connects to her wrist. "It's beautiful Prim," Katniss says.

"Now go!" Prim says with a smile. She leads her sister down the steps where Peeta is waiting. "Wow!" he exclaims. "You look great Katniss."

Katniss blushes and pulls out a boutonniere and fixes it on Peeta's jacket. Then Peeta takes out a matching corsage and slips it on Katniss's hand. "Come on, we need to leave now if we don't want to be late."

Today is Prom Night, nobody asked Katniss out so Peeta thought he'd do the honors. As they drive down the dusty road and turn into the school's parking lot, Katniss could feel a thousand eyes staring at her. Everyone knew what happened, some pitied her while others made stories. Katniss could never escape the prying eyes and started getting anxiety and panic attacks. She could feel her heart beating faster and her palms sweating.

"Peeta, turn around."

"What? Why?"

"I don't think I can do it."

Peeta turns and sees Katniss shaking. It hurts him to see Katniss like this; he takes a U-turn and drives away from the school. But instead of turning right at the stoplight as usual, he drives pass it.

"Peeta, what are you doing?"

"I promised you that we're going to have a fun night and I'm going to keep that promise." He parks the car by some trees and they step out together. Katniss recognizes this place; it's the meadow. She hasn't been here in 2 years because of her fear of abduction. Peeta holds her steadily as they walk through the flowers, careful not to step on them.

"Remember this place?" he asks.

"Of course I do Peeta."

The stars are glittering like jewels, Katniss smiles, something she hasn't done in a while. "Dance with me Katniss?" Peeta asks.

Katniss blushes, she can barely do a twirl without stepping on someone's foot. "Okay…" She places one hand on her brother's shoulder and another on his waist. Peeta does the same. They start to sway a little, moving in circles. "We don't even have any music Peeta."

"You could always sing."

Katniss feels her cheeks heat up, there's no way she's singing. Not again…

"It's just me Katniss," Peeta says.

"O-o-okay."

_"__When you try your best but you don't succeed,"_

_"__When you get what you want but not what you need,"_

_"__When you feel so tired but you can't sleep,"_

_"__Stuck in reverse…"_

Katniss thinks about all the nights she has cried because of her panic attack, people have tried to help her, but there's this deep feeling inside that won't stop tearing her up.

_"__And the tears come streaming down your face,"_

_"__When you lose something you can't replace,"_

_"__When you love someone but it goes to waste,"_

_"__Could it be worst…?"_

About a week after the break-up, Peeta finally got over Glimmer. She still tries to take him back, no matter how much she flirts or how little she wears, it's not working. Other girls have tried to talk to him too, but Peeta just rejects them politely and keeps on walking.

_"__Lights will guide you home,"_

_"__And ignite your bones."_

_"__And I will try,"_

_"__To fix you."_

Recently, Katniss and Peeta started to heal. They help each other out in their own way. Sometimes Katniss screams from a nightmare but Peeta comes in and holds her close. Now, after 2 years, she has little to no nightmares.

_"__And high above or down below,"_

_"__When you are too in love to let it go,"_

_"__But if you never try you never know,"_

_"__Just what you're worth…"_

There's one girl that Peeta is seeing. Delly Cartwright. Even her name sounds beautiful. She came in the summer with her dad to South Carolina to finish off high school. She and Peeta meet in biology when their teacher assigned them as lab partners. No one was able to separate them since.

_"__Lights will guide you home,"_

_"__And ignite your bones."_

_"__And I will try,"_

_"__To fix you."_

All was quiet in the meadow, no other sound was heard other than Katniss's melodic voice. Rabbits squeezed against each other in their burrows while birds and squirrels hide themselves under the cover of the leaves. There wasn't a single rustle or a single peep. It was as if they all stopped, just to listen to Katniss sing.

_"__Tears stream down on your face,"_

_"__When you lose something you can't replace,"_

_"__Tears stream down on your face,"_

_"__And I…"_

At this point, Katniss forgot she was even in the meadow, she forgot she was dancing. She just focused singing, and for once, she felt happy.

_"__Tears stream down on your face,"_

_"__I promise you I will learn from my mistakes."_

_"__Tears stream down on your face,"_

_"__And I…"_

Peeta smiled widely, he accomplished his goal. Katniss may not have healed entirely, but she was on the right path. He reminisces all his moments with her, from the day he found her in the woods to now. And they were about to graduate tomorrow! A new chapter in both of their lives, and he couldn't wait to start.

_"__Lights will guide you home,"_

_"__And ignite your bones."_

_"__And I will try,"_

_"__To fix you."_

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**Thanks for reading this story. I'm so happy that so many of you reviewed and kept reading my content. I won't be uploading any content for a while because I am working on a collab with 23 other AMAZING authors. A SYOT organised by Glossy-12. If you liked this, definitely check that out and vote for your favourite victor and tribute.**

**Link to that story is on my profile.**

**Thanks again!**

**-TheSnowyAngel**


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